5 Tips to get yourself ready for Settlement

Congratulations! You've entered the real estate market, bought a property and your settlement date is fast approaching! While you’re excited and already picturing yourself living in your new home, the time to prepare for the move is now. Although your settlement is still a couple of weeks away and you feel like you have plenty of time to prepare, the big day will be here before you know it. So to avoid any unnecessary stress or last minute mistakes - here are five tips to help you get ready for moving day.

1. Start preparing now

Bring out your calendar and plan out what days you will be doing what in order to get everything ready for your moving day. This will give you a clear view of all the things you need to organise and how much it may cost to prepare for the big day. Make sure that you set aside extra time and money for each task to counter any unexpected costs or delays. Don’t make the mistake of setting aside one day or one weekend to pack up all your possessions - it will be a stressful experience. Rather, plan ahead and set aside a specific day where you will pack up a specific room. This will help you stay focused on your task and it will not be an overwhelming amount of work. Trust us, you have more things to pack than you think.

2. Get off to a clean and fresh start

As tempting as it to move, unpack and be done with it we highly recommend you to clean the entire house before moving all your belongings in to your new home. The empty house will allow you to give it a proper scrub down as you can reach all the tricky places with no furniture in the way. For example, steam cleaning your carpets will be so much easier in an empty house. It will give you piece of mind knowing that you're moving in to a fresh and clean home. Also, try to have all your clothes, towels and bed linen washed before the move. That way you can take a refreshing shower and sleep on crisp clean sheets on your first night in your new clean home.

3. Label your boxes

Save yourself the frustration of digging through an endless amount of boxes just to find your favourite pair of socks by packing smart and labelling your boxes clearly. Pack according to room and object type, so that one box contains similar items that go in the same room. For instance, your hairdryer and garden hose don't belong in the same box - but your plates and cutlery do. Then make sure that each box has a clear and descriptive label. For example: Kitchen - serving ware - fragile or Garage - tools - heavy.

It is a good idea however to make one 'Essential box' - a box that contains important items and some necessities that you use everyday. For example, your essential box may contain: toothbrush and soap, a phone charger, change of clothes, wallet, keys, flashlight, plate and cutlery, passport, and a first aid kit. Unpacking can take time so it is handy to have one box where you have the most important or most used thing at hand.

4. Update your address details and organise utilities to be connected in time for your settlement

1-2 weeks before the big move call and order your utilities, cable and internet to be connected at your new address by your settlement date. It could take some time for the changes to come into effect and you don't want to spend the first night in your new home without electricity or Internet. So be on the safe side and make the call well in advance. Also, do not forget to redirect your mail and update your address details for important documents or with other service provider.

5. Hire a removalist or get help from your friends

There are three benefits to hiring a removalist: it's quicker, your items are less likely to be damaged during the move and there is no heavy lifting. Simply put, hiring a removalist means less hassle and stress for you. Just be sure that you do your research so that you find a company with good reviews who offer the services you need for the price you want so that there are no surprises on your moving day.

However, hiring a removalist may be out of your budget. Making the move yourself will definitely save you money but it can be difficult and time consuming. So call in favours from your friends and ask them to help you out. Just make sure that you are all packed and ready to go when they come to lend you a hand. If you have a small car or want to avoid taking many trips, it may be worth hiring a truck for the day. Also, if you have many heavy items a hand cart will be advantageous - and take the pressure of your back. When the moving is done, remember to show your appreciation to any friend who has helped you. For example, say thank you by taking them out to a nice lunch or order some take away.